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THE LOYOLA MAROON VOLUME 68. NO. 21 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 70118 MARCH 23. 1990 ' SGA OKs fee increase without student survey By Dan De Leo Assistant News Editor The Student Government Association decided Tuesday not to allow students the opportunity to vote on a SO percent increase in the SGA fee. After a two-week debate, the SGA voted to poll chartered organizations' presidents rather than the student body as a whole. The legislation, Resolution 18, states that the $5 increase will be recommended to the Board of Trustees following the poll. Resolution 18 follows a bill written by Rhonda Benoit, liberal studies junior and City College representative, which would have raised the fee without a poll or student referendum. That bill, Resolution 17, was voted on and approved by congress last week, but vetoed by Leonard Lewis, SGA president and third year law student. "I vetoed Resolution 17 solely because it fails to contain provisions calling for a survey of student opinion on this issue," a letter from Lewis to Louis Adams, communications senior and SGA chairperson, states. Lewis said he will support the new resolution. According to SGA minutes, Jim Dugan, congressman-at-large and communications sophomore, submitted an amendment to Resolution 18 which required a poll of the general student body. David Vandersand, management and marketing junior and executive assistant to the SGA president, questioned the validity of Dugan's amendment, arguing that such a poll does not differ from a student referendum, according to the minutes. Dugan's proposed amendment failed, according to the minutes. Dennis Elfert, second year law student and law school president, moved to strike the student body poll and replace it with a poll of the chartered organizations' presidents. "Those are the people who have the most to gain and the most to lose," he said. The resolution and Elfert,s amendment passed. Several SGA representatives disagreed with the decision, saying all students should be able to voice whether they approve of the increase or not "I think the student body should have a say in the matter," Dugan said. Tim O'Brien, Arts and Science representative and history sophomore, called Elfert's amendment an attempt to sweep the issue "under the rug." "It's obvious how the organizations' presidents will vote," O'Brien said. "They are not representative of the student body in its entirety." "They're polling the side that's getting the money, but they aren't polling the side Photo by Steve Wimberg Sunny sid« up — Linda Jones, music junior, witnesses a phenomenon Tuesday that occurs on the vernal equinox, the first day of spring. On level ground, eggs stand on end because of the angle of the Earth's axis. Mortal group attempts to block WWL-TV sale By Elizabeth Mehaffey News Editor A group attempting to block the sale of WWL-TV has taken their charges that Loyola and senior station employees violated anti-trust laws to a second federal agency. United Communications Inc., formerly headed by the late Dutch Mortal, filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission March IS requesting that the commission investigate the pending sale of WWL-TV to determine whether it violates the Sherman Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. Loyola signed an agreement Dec. 21 to sell WWL-TV to Rampart Operating Partnership, a group led by station manager Mike Early Sr., and consisting of station employees. UCl's complaint with the FTC follows a March 5 petition with the Federal Communications Commission. Both complaints allege that Loyola and Rampart principals acted illegally in negotiations to sell the station. UCI claims that Loyola caved in to Early and other WWL-TV senior employees, who allegedly threatened to resign en masse unless Loyola sold the station to them and to no one else. The petition alleges that Loyola and Rampart's actions violate state and federal anti-trust laws and asks the FCC to block the sale. Both the petition with the FCC and the complaint with the FTC claim that numerous WWL-TV employees "had informed Loyola officials that unless WWL-TV were sold to them or a company controlled by them, they would resign en masse." Employees named by UCI as part of this group are: Early, station general manager, Jimmie Phillips, sales manager; Debra Bamewold, office manager, Carol St. Martin, secretary; Phil Johnson, assistant general manager and editorial director; Garland Robinette, senior news anchor, Angela Hill, senior news anchor, Bill Elder, news anchor; Jim Henderson, sports anchor, and Joe Duke, news director. David Honig, attorney for UCI, said that while in general, boycotts are legal, they are illegal when they are orchestrated for private gain. Honig said the actions of station employees are unlawful because they restrict free trade. "When an action is taken which restrains trade, it is unlawful," Honig said. "There was no coercion involved," Duke said. "I can only respond for myself. I did not threaten to resign. I have no plans to resign from WWL." However, Elder told the Times-Picayune that "some of us let it be known that we wouldn't stay around if the station was sold and we didn't like the new owners." When reached by The Maroon, Johnson and St. Martin refused to comment. Early, Elder, Hill, Robinette, Henderson, Barenwold and Phillips did not return phone calls Monday and Tuesday. The Times-Picayune reported last week that if senior on-air employees such as Elder, Hill, Robinette and Henderson were to resign, the value of the station would be reduced by at least $20 million. "Since the employees' threatened boycott, if carried out, would have destroyed the television station, the effect of the threatened boycott was to narrow the ranks of potential purchasers,, to only Rampart, the complaint alleges. Dutch Mortal's son, Jacques, a principal in UCI, said he is not ruling out the possibility of a civil lawsuit against Loyola and Rampart, but refused to comment on when a lawsuit would be filed or how much the lawsuit might involve. Honig confirmed that UCI will be filing a civil lawsuit, but refused to comment on when, other than to say that it will be filed "eminently." See SGA/page 7 See WWL/page 7 Im hi ii i

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THE LOYOLA MAROON VOLUME 68. NO. 21 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 70118 MARCH 23. 1990 ' SGA OKs fee increase without student survey By Dan De Leo Assistant News Editor The Student Government Association decided Tuesday not to allow students the opportunity to vote on a SO percent increase in the SGA fee. After a two-week debate, the SGA voted to poll chartered organizations' presidents rather than the student body as a whole. The legislation, Resolution 18, states that the $5 increase will be recommended to the Board of Trustees following the poll. Resolution 18 follows a bill written by Rhonda Benoit, liberal studies junior and City College representative, which would have raised the fee without a poll or student referendum. That bill, Resolution 17, was voted on and approved by congress last week, but vetoed by Leonard Lewis, SGA president and third year law student. "I vetoed Resolution 17 solely because it fails to contain provisions calling for a survey of student opinion on this issue," a letter from Lewis to Louis Adams, communications senior and SGA chairperson, states. Lewis said he will support the new resolution. According to SGA minutes, Jim Dugan, congressman-at-large and communications sophomore, submitted an amendment to Resolution 18 which required a poll of the general student body. David Vandersand, management and marketing junior and executive assistant to the SGA president, questioned the validity of Dugan's amendment, arguing that such a poll does not differ from a student referendum, according to the minutes. Dugan's proposed amendment failed, according to the minutes. Dennis Elfert, second year law student and law school president, moved to strike the student body poll and replace it with a poll of the chartered organizations' presidents. "Those are the people who have the most to gain and the most to lose," he said. The resolution and Elfert,s amendment passed. Several SGA representatives disagreed with the decision, saying all students should be able to voice whether they approve of the increase or not "I think the student body should have a say in the matter," Dugan said. Tim O'Brien, Arts and Science representative and history sophomore, called Elfert's amendment an attempt to sweep the issue "under the rug." "It's obvious how the organizations' presidents will vote," O'Brien said. "They are not representative of the student body in its entirety." "They're polling the side that's getting the money, but they aren't polling the side Photo by Steve Wimberg Sunny sid« up — Linda Jones, music junior, witnesses a phenomenon Tuesday that occurs on the vernal equinox, the first day of spring. On level ground, eggs stand on end because of the angle of the Earth's axis. Mortal group attempts to block WWL-TV sale By Elizabeth Mehaffey News Editor A group attempting to block the sale of WWL-TV has taken their charges that Loyola and senior station employees violated anti-trust laws to a second federal agency. United Communications Inc., formerly headed by the late Dutch Mortal, filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission March IS requesting that the commission investigate the pending sale of WWL-TV to determine whether it violates the Sherman Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. Loyola signed an agreement Dec. 21 to sell WWL-TV to Rampart Operating Partnership, a group led by station manager Mike Early Sr., and consisting of station employees. UCl's complaint with the FTC follows a March 5 petition with the Federal Communications Commission. Both complaints allege that Loyola and Rampart principals acted illegally in negotiations to sell the station. UCI claims that Loyola caved in to Early and other WWL-TV senior employees, who allegedly threatened to resign en masse unless Loyola sold the station to them and to no one else. The petition alleges that Loyola and Rampart's actions violate state and federal anti-trust laws and asks the FCC to block the sale. Both the petition with the FCC and the complaint with the FTC claim that numerous WWL-TV employees "had informed Loyola officials that unless WWL-TV were sold to them or a company controlled by them, they would resign en masse." Employees named by UCI as part of this group are: Early, station general manager, Jimmie Phillips, sales manager; Debra Bamewold, office manager, Carol St. Martin, secretary; Phil Johnson, assistant general manager and editorial director; Garland Robinette, senior news anchor, Angela Hill, senior news anchor, Bill Elder, news anchor; Jim Henderson, sports anchor, and Joe Duke, news director. David Honig, attorney for UCI, said that while in general, boycotts are legal, they are illegal when they are orchestrated for private gain. Honig said the actions of station employees are unlawful because they restrict free trade. "When an action is taken which restrains trade, it is unlawful," Honig said. "There was no coercion involved," Duke said. "I can only respond for myself. I did not threaten to resign. I have no plans to resign from WWL." However, Elder told the Times-Picayune that "some of us let it be known that we wouldn't stay around if the station was sold and we didn't like the new owners." When reached by The Maroon, Johnson and St. Martin refused to comment. Early, Elder, Hill, Robinette, Henderson, Barenwold and Phillips did not return phone calls Monday and Tuesday. The Times-Picayune reported last week that if senior on-air employees such as Elder, Hill, Robinette and Henderson were to resign, the value of the station would be reduced by at least $20 million. "Since the employees' threatened boycott, if carried out, would have destroyed the television station, the effect of the threatened boycott was to narrow the ranks of potential purchasers,, to only Rampart, the complaint alleges. Dutch Mortal's son, Jacques, a principal in UCI, said he is not ruling out the possibility of a civil lawsuit against Loyola and Rampart, but refused to comment on when a lawsuit would be filed or how much the lawsuit might involve. Honig confirmed that UCI will be filing a civil lawsuit, but refused to comment on when, other than to say that it will be filed "eminently." See SGA/page 7 See WWL/page 7 Im hi ii i